A rant.

It's been a long time since I've ranted on here - even longer since I have talked about religion.  But something has been on my mind lately and I neeeed to get it off my chest.  

I have been avoiding talking about controversial subjects on the blog, lately - in the interest of not offending anyone.    Another reason I avoid it is because, I have realized that it is really no one's business what I believe...  I want to be judged not on my political beliefs or my religious leanings. Honestly - those things change regularly! And even if I change one or the other, it doesn't change WHO I am, and consequently how I should be perceived.

But this issue is not one of them.  I would love to be judged on this.  As a matter of fact, if you have a problem with anything that I am saying... please feel free to leave my life and/or challenge me on it because I MIGHT just do the same to you. 

I am super fired up, yall.

So, as many of you know, I was heavily indoctrinated with organized religion raised in the church.  My family has/had strong religious views that I thoroughly absorbed.  I went to church every Sunday, I read my bible almost everyday, I didn't use profanity (still don't - only because I would sound ridiculous doing so, now...), I even (gasp) waited till I was married to have sex.  Now, I usually do not offer that last bit of information out because it may be slightly misleading.  I may not have went *all the way*, but I was NO angel.  Mkay?

When I went to college (after my wild freshman year - in which I basically broke all of my personal rules mentioned above - except the sex thing), I got serious about my religion.  I read the bible like a text book.  I collected supporting texts - like a bible dictionary and other reference books.  I got to a point where I could go toe-to-toe with guys who went to theology school.  So, when a co-worker approached me about tithing (assuming that I didn't agree with the way it is normally taught in today's churches - because I didn't KNOW any better) - I laughed in her face and showed her how wrong she was.  

My uncle and I used to be pretty close and constantly talked about how lost people were - who didn't believe what we believed (which was Calvinist - also considered Reformed).  Some other Christians weren't even considered actual Christians to us.  

But even when I was so hard core, I did not understand why same sex marriages were illegal.  The laws obviously aren't meant to prevent sin.  I mean, who WOULDN'T be opposed to a law that prevented people from *thinking* of doing the wrong thing, or having sex before they were married, or  marrying a non-Christian, or um, BEING a non-Christian.  (All these things are sins, according Christian belief, by the way).

So, when I see that people are opposed to recognizing same-sex marriage, because *they don't agree with the lifestyle* - it REALLY annoys me.    This comes down to a human-rights issue.  EVEN IF you believe that same-sex relationships are sinful, there is no logical reason why you should single out *those* sinners.  The only thing you are doing is preventing them from receiving basic rights that opposite sex unions receive.  Which is NOT fair.

So, sorry if I offended you.  Actually, no.  I am not sorry.  If this post made you angry.  GOOD.  Because I am angry - and so SICK of self-righteous Christians using *I don't agree with the lifestyle* as a reason for not recognizing same-sex marriages.  It's asinine. It's unfair.  And it is preposterous for you to think otherwise.

That is all.